Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The office of the Mackenzie Gas Project, the Minister indicated that his department and the government have not yet given up or thrown in the towel on this project. The Mackenzie Gas Project has gone through some pretty rough rides. It’s on and it’s off. I’m not too sure, but we know the project is there. We all know that. But when you start to read and hear that oil companies are pulling out of the project, Esso is pulling back its staff on this project, the APG has cut back on staff. There are meetings in Ottawa and I’m not too sure what’s happening. The price of natural gas is down. We know there has to be better times where the project is up again to some form of construction.

The Mackenzie Gas Project is a valuable project for Canada and the North, and we just don’t know when. There are lots of what if’s in the future. Now, the Mackenzie Gas Project staff has done some good work right across the North. They have done some good work in the communities. There’s a lot of work yet. We’ve got to get the union on side for the North and our training. How long it takes to train an apprentice welder or people you’re going to need on the pipeline. Has this office talked to the union and said we want you guys to start training the people down the Mackenzie Valley? There’s going to be a union on that pipeline. The union will have the insurance and the liability to cover any leaky pipeline.

I want to ask this Minister, are we ramping up our people in our communities for the training. You know, there’s money there from the federal government for the communities for socio-economic impacts, $500 million, and if the pipeline is still coming, are we preparing our trainers, our workers to say tomorrow you’re going to work with this union? This union is going to hire you or they’re going to bring up their own people from the South. Too late.

I want to know that kind of work we’re going to be doing with the Mackenzie Gas Project, then I’ll go into the Sahtu and oil and gas play. I want to know what kinds of things that the pipeline office is going to do. Thank you.